Sustainability, Resilience and Efficiency are fundamental considerations for city managers in managing urban infrastructures. Today, more than 3.9 billion people, making up more than 54% of the global population, live in cities. Urbanization is expected to continue in the coming years, raising the urban population to 6.0 billion by 2045. This dramatic increase in urban populations will inevitably increase the demand for energy, mobility (transportation), water, and other urban services in every city around the world. Without functional governance and management structures that ensure efficient, resilient and sustainable performance in cities, the current urbanization growth might become a catastrophic risk threatening the quality of life of the humanity.
Sustainable development in 21st century can only be realized by introducing innovations in both management and operations of urban infrastructures systems. Developing management practices that effectively integrates the processes of urban planning with urban infrastructures planning and management is a challenging goal that many cities are struggling with nowadays, but is a must for transforming cities to sustainable and resilient engines of growth in both developing and developed economies.
This course will provide you with the basic principles of urban infrastructure management that are fundamental for building prosperous cities that are sustainable, resilient and efficient.
In order to obtain a certificate for this course, the participants have to pass four graded quizzes and complete four mandatory assignments, plus a final exam. In addition to the graded assignments students have the option to write a 7-10 page peer-reviewed case study about management of energy OR transportation system in their city (on your own choice).
The best case studies will be also evaluated by our jury at IGLUS and the authors of the 3 best case studies will win a full tuition fee waiver scholarship to enroll in the IGLUS professional training program in Spring 2017.
You can also pre-enroll in our upcoming MOOC on Smart Cities now. Find our more here:
http://iglus.org/smart-cities-mooc/

Welcome to the 1st block: an Introduction to Urban Infrastructures. In this block we will start by exploring the key challenges faced by urban infrastructures (1-2), and then we will learn about the main urban infrastructure systems (1-3), and their main dimensions (1-4). Finally, Mr. Vincent Lusser will provide us with a practitioner’s perspective on urban infrastructures (1-5). To complete this block, first watch the five videos, and visit the discussion forum where other learners and our TA team will answer any questions and facilitate a debate on the concepts treated in the section. After watching the videos, make sure to read the reading assigned for the block. In it, you will find a summary of the lecture content, and an illustrative case study of the urban infrastructure challenges facing Mexico City, the largest urban agglomeration in the Western hemisphere. Finally, when you feel ready, complete the quiz “What did I learn in Block 1?” to assess your knowledge, and Short Answer Assignment 1, to apply what you have learned to your own city.